It has recently been suggested that a family of polymeric analogs to macromolecules, termed "polyrotoxanes", be synthesized using crown ethers (or macrocyclic polyethers) as the cyclic component thereof. See H. W. Gibson et al., Polymer Preprints, 1988, 29(1) 248-249 and P. R. Lecavalier et al., Polymer Preprints, 1989, 30(1) 189-190, Ibid., 1990, 31(2), 659-660.
It is known to form hetero crown ethers (also termed "corands") comprising oxygen atoms separated by (CH.sub.2).sub.n groups and groups of the ortho-phenylene type. See C. J. Pedersen, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 89 (1967) 2495 and 7017. It is well known that such crown ethers can be used as complexation agents.
Chapoteau et al., in J. Org. Chem. 1989, 54, 861-867 mention that crown ethers (corands) based on the 1,3-xylyl subunit have been synthesized with a variety of intraannular or inward facing groups including methoxyl, phenolic, carboxyl, methoxycarbonyl, hydroxyl, nitrile and sulfones.
Moore et al. in J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 99:19, 6398-6410 (1977) show certain monobenzo-crown ethers containing outwardly facing substituents such as --CH.sub.2 C.sub.2 H.sub.5 and --CN.
Allwood et al., in a series of reports in J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., 1987, 1054-1064 illustrate a dinaphtho-crown ether (DN30C10 on pp. 1054-1058), a non-substituted bismetaphenylene-32-crown-10 derivative (BMP32C10) on pp. 1058-1061, and a bisparaphenylene-34-crown-10 derivative (BPP34C10) on pp. 1061-1064. The BMP32C10 derivative was synthesized by partial benzylation of resorcinol to yield 3-benzyloxyphenol which was reacted with tetraethylene glycol bis(toluene-p-sulfonate) (TEGBT) to yield 1,11-bis(3'-benzyloxyphenoxy)-36,9-trioxaundecane. Deprotection of that product followed by reaction of the derived diphenol with TEGBT afforded the BMP32C10 derivative. Allwood et al. discuss the ability of BMP32C10 and BPP34C10 to complex such materials as paraquat and diquat.